It’s such a nice thing when a Los Angeles sports team actually acts like a Los Angeles sports team is supposed to act – decisive, aggressive, strategic and with one thing in mind: Winning, today.

It’s even a nice thing when that team actually plays in another county and, what with the price of gas, is hardly freeway close anymore. But truly, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have been acting more like the Los Angeles Dodgers long before they took on the city’s name.

Tuesday was just the latest exhibit: Armed with the best record in baseball and the biggest division lead of any team , owner Artie Moreno, General Manager Tony Reagins and Manager Mike Scioscia went off on baseball and traded for the best available hitter in the game.

Cheaply, too.

All Mark Teixeira cost them was a talented young first baseman, Casey Kotchman, and a double-A pitcher, Stephen Marek. There’s nothing to say Kotchman couldn’t have produced enough to own a World Series ring in October, but it can be said all of the Angels are closer to rings with Teixeira.

All Teixeira has done in his last full season – or the 157 games he played for the Braves before Tuesday’s trade – is hit 37 home runs and drive in 134 runs. He has 190 career home runs in 850 career games, with other numbers, like a .373 on-base percentage and .536 slugging percentage, that indicate he’s a fully-round star.

He will look nice in red. He will look nicer batting behind Vladimir Guerrero.

It’s the strategic brilliance that makes one grin.

If Teixeira is nothing more than a summer rental, so be it. It’s gratifying to see a franchise realize it has a chance to seize a pennant and make teams like the Red Sox and Yankees gasp – especially since those teams are usually the ones making others take a deep breath.

If the Angels can’t retain Teixeira next year, Moreno believes they can find someone to give them Kotchman-

like numbers in 2009 and beyond. Having once played Darin Erstad – great bat, limited power-at first and won their fair share of games, you have to believe this is a plausible belief.

If Teixeira is to become a nucleus of the future, they literally couldn’t have found anyone better. The free agent class of 2009 has a lot of good names but few of Teixeira’s ability. Next best is Carl Crawford, who has more speed and defense but less power, and Tampa Bay holds an option.

The Angels are in a position to find out because they’ve made good decisions and are coming up on a transition year personnel-wise.

Their payroll before the trade was $118 million. But in terms of veteran, everyday players, they’re on the hook for less than $50 million in contracts for 2009.

They’ll pay Torii Hunter, Kelvim Escobar and Gary Matthews $37 million-plus combined in guaranteed money, and John Lackey the $9 million he has coming in a club option.

Their contracts with Jon Garland and Frankie Rodriguez expire and the team will probably let them walk as free agents, because $12 million for a fifth starter is excessive and they believe they can get better value for a closer than the $10 million K-Rod now gets and the Mariano Rivera-sized deal he wants.

They hold club options on Vladimir Guerrero for $15 million and Garret Anderson for $14 million, but can buy their way out of both contracts for $6 million if they so choose. Keep Vlad? Probably. Keep Garret? Not necessarily.

Moreno stepped up to sign Vlad when he was available, and he’s returned well on the five-year, $70 million deal (sounds so quaint today). Stepping up for Teixeira, today and tomorrow, is in the same ballpark decision-wise.

This is all possible because the team invested in its future, and signed and kept Jered Weaver, and kept Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders – whose combined salary for 2008 is little more than $1.2 million – and have relative kids set for the semi-long term up the middle.

The poor Braves gave up five prospects for Teixeira and now have very little to show for it.

Of course, Teixeira is a client of Scott Boras; he’ll live with the Newport Beach-based agent when he arrives from Atlanta, and I assume Boras’ guest bedroom is lavish. Boras is talking about a future 10-year, $200-million deal for his client, and if the Angels decide to pass, no one is going to blame them.

If the Angels win a World Series with Teixeira, they’ll probably guarantee Boras that the Yankees will meet that number for 2009 and beyond.

The Angels made this move to win now, and frankly you have to like their chances, and have to salute them even if doesn’t pan out. Because one way or the other, the 2008 stretch run is going to be exciting and the 2009 roster won’t be stripped.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers of Clueless straddle .500 and are only in a pennant race by default, and their roster is full of chum, with $60 million committed this year to the halt-and-

And another $55 million is guaranteed to Penny ($8.7 million!), Pierre ($9 million!!), Kuroda ($10 million!!!), Schmidt ($12 million!!!!) and Jones ($15 million!!!!!) for 2009. Makes the price of gas look like a bargain.

More to the point, it makes the cost of filling your tank and driving to Anaheim for a ball game a damn fine investment.

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